ABSTRACT Groin, gluteal and hip pain are common presentations in sports medicine. The pathology is varied and can be referred from any of these regions due to the three-dimensional nature of the anatomy. There is a tendency in modern medical school curricula for less time to be devoted to didactic as well as practical anatomy teaching, possibly to the detriment of students' ability to formulate a differential diagnosis when investigating musculoskeletal conditions. This is particularly important in areas of complex anatomy. This paper proposes a novel diagnostic system based on the underlying anatomical structures, to form a series of triangles which act as a grid, by which the clinician may narrow the diagnosis in spite of a lesser understanding of the anatomical relations. This acknowledges the problem based approach, where problem solving without this encyclopedic knowledge is attempted. In dividing the proximal lower limb into triangles, the authors propose a new educational reference point termed '3G'. This point is located in the line of the femur, anteriorly at the midpoint between the anterior superior iliac spine and the superior pole of the patella, and posteriorly, at a point on the femur following the line between the spinous process of L5 lumbar vertebra and the ischial tuberosity. These points were found to correlate and are common to all triangles.